Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE is definitely not a high end Android based device, but it can still be a great backup phone to use at work or for completing basic daily tasks as the full QWERTY keyboard comes in quite handy in many situations. So, if you are still using this smartphone and if you want to enjoy a great Android experience without dealing with bugs and lags, don’t hesitate and try out the new CM 13 built that’s based on the latest Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow system.

Yes, that’s right; an unofficial version of CyanogenMod has been made available by those of xda-developers for the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE. So, that’s to them now you can update your device to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS. The ROM is stable enough for a daily use and brings useful features and dedicated apps which can help you be more productive – the phone will run faster and better and you will enjoy an upgraded battery life.

Moreover, the options introduced by CM 13 are endless. You can actually overclock your Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE and tweak all the other performances in order to bump speeds, remove bloatware, add custom kernels and customize / optimize / personalize the basic Android platform – do check out all the CM 13 details by heading towards this page.

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow for Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE can’t happen in an official matter. Thus, the only way in which you can test and enjoy the latest features, apps and processes is by flashing a custom ROM, such as CM 13. But, when doing so, you are completing an unofficial update operation, so you have to assume some risks – the warranty of your phone will, of course, get void. Thus, if something isn’t going as planned, and if somehow your device gets bricked, you will be by yourself – going back to service with your phone will imply in losing money; so the best solution will be to manually check how to troubleshoot your Android device.

Also, if you are not careful, you can lose all of your personal data, info and accounts – the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow can be ensured only if you make a clean CM13 install which means that a hard reset and clearing app data cache will be additional processes. Because of that you must backup everything before doing anything else.

Since we are talking about the backup process, I must remember you that making a Nandroid backup is another process that can save you from really annoying situations. By applying such operation you can save the Android OS that currently powers your Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE. So, if the new CM 13 Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow firmware will not run as expected, you can then choose to go back to stock without having to use another complex and risky update operation.

This is also a manual update operation – being an unofficial port of Marshmallow, the CM13 software can’t be received as an OTA update. Thus, for this operation you will have to use a computer, your Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE and your phone’s USB cable. As essential pre requisites, on your smartphone you have to gain Developer Options and to check the USB Debugging field: from “menu – settings – about phone” tap on Built Number until you become a developer and from “menu – settings – developer options” check the USB Debugging feature.

As you will see, on your computer you will have to download the required files. Now, if you just can’t manage to resume the download process, consider in temporarily disabling the antivirus security that runs by default on your PC. Afterwards, take a look over your phone and if you notice that its power is lower than 50%, plug in the charger before doing anything else – otherwise your smartphone can get bricked during the update operation (if it gets turned off while you complete the steps from below).

For completing a clean install, first you have to pick from recovery: “wipe data factory reset”, “wipe cache partition” and “wipe dalvik cache”.

Then, from the same recovery environment you have to select “install zip from SD card” and “choose zip from SD card”.

Load the files you want to flash (both of them) and resume the installation process by following on screen prompts.

When done, from recovery select “reboot system now”.

Your Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE should now run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS. Don’t forget to test all the CM 13 features and settings in order to see how the new ROM runs on your device. If there are problems, share everything with us by using the comments field from down below.